ESPN: Dallas staggers to finish line
By Ken Daley
Special to ESPN.com
Twelve teams are about to embark upon an NFL playoff chase they hope will culminate with a Super Bowl championship Feb. 4. It's safe to say none is as demoralized as the Cowboys.
Dallas staggers into Saturday's NFC wild-card game in Seattle having lost three of its past four games in disturbing fashion, culminating in back-to-back home losses to Philadelphia and lowly Detroit. The boos at Texas Stadium the past two weeks might still be ringing in the Cowboys' ears as they venture into noisy Qwest Field, where the defending NFC champion Seahawks have won 15 of their past 18 games.
"It's going to be a tough place to play," said Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. "Everybody knows that's one of the best home-field advantage places in the NFL."
The Seahawks opened as three-point favorites, not because they've shown so much during their 9-7 season but because the Cowboys have showed so little lately.
Dallas was 8-4 and leading the NFC East by two games with four to play before losing home games to New Orleans, Philadelphia and Detroit by a combined score of 104-55. Only a 38-28 victory in Atlanta in Week 15 prevented coach Bill Parcells' team from ending the season on a four-game losing streak.
The Cowboys coughed up the division title to the Eagles but hoped to regain a modicum of confidence and momentum in Sunday's season finale against Detroit. Instead, the Lions scored on four of six possessions in each half en route to a 39-31 upset that Parcells called "a low point for me."
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am," Parcells said after that game. "I really can't."
Others were able to articulate their feelings after watching Dallas give up Detroit's biggest scoring total since the Lions' 2003 season opener. Dallas and Fort Worth newspaper columnists labeled Parcells' four-year tenure a failure, with one suggesting team owner Jerry Jones might fire the coach and another declaring that he should.
Neither Jones nor Parcells would address Parcells' future with a playoff game yet to be played. But Jones cannot be satisfied that after four years and nearly $20 million in salary, Parcells has produced only a 34-30 record and one playoff loss, in 2003.
Parcells said Monday that the Cowboys begin this week with a clean slate, that their December meltdown is history and that "if you want to talk about history, go down to a museum." But those flippant answers won't stop the questions surrounding his team.
"You have a tendency to pay a lot more attention to your own situation than someone else's," Parcells said. "But there's very few teams that aren't going into this tournament without some questions about things that have happened. [Recent history] makes no difference."
Jones expressed confidence that Parcells will have his team ready this weekend. But there are indications the Cowboys are gleaning little inspiration from their grumpy coach.
Last month, Parcells stressed the importance of preparing like a championship team to establish momentum for the postseason. But the Cowboys were whipped on national television by the Saints, 42-17.
Parcells reminded his team that with a Christmas Day victory, the division title and a home playoff game would be theirs. But the Cowboys got manhandled by the Eagles, 23-7, their worst offensive showing of the season and a defensive effort Jones termed "pitiful."
Expectations for the Cowboys have fluctuated this season as their record bobbed from 0-1 to 4-4 to 8-4 to 9-7.
Parcells lit a fire under his offense when he benched immobile veteran Drew Bledsoe and made Romo his quarterback midway through Game 6, Oct. 23 against the Giants.
Romo, 26, energized the team and won five of his first six starts. After seven games, he was elected to his first Pro Bowl. But opponents seem to have gathered enough film on Romo. Facing defenses more tailored to containing him, Romo has grown increasingly reckless, resulting in eight interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in his past five games.
As Romo has slipped, so has the Cowboys' running game. Julius Jones managed only 91 of his career-high 1,084 rushing yards in the last three games. The Cowboys haven't rushed for 120 yards as a team in six weeks, and Jones began grumbling last week about his diminished workload.
Also feeling neglected is Terrell Owens, who led the league's receivers in touchdown receptions (13) and dropped passes (15) in the regular season. The first year of Owens' three-year, $25 million contract has been a near-constant headache for Parcells. Owens recently resumed his public criticism of the Cowboys' play calling.
But Dallas' biggest concern is its porous defense, which has given up 1,700 yards and 132 points in the past four games. The Cowboys have been unable to mount a consistent pass rush, cover even modestly skilled receivers or stop opponents on third down.
Parcells' preferred 3-4 defense worked fine when the scheme brought pressure from both sides via outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis. But since Ellis' season ended with a torn Achilles tendon Nov. 12 against Arizona, the difference has been striking.
In nine games with Ellis, the Cowboys had 11 sacks and forced six third-down turnovers. In the seven games without him, the Cowboys managed seven sacks and forced three third-down turnovers.
"We've got to get pressure on the quarterback," Parcells said, "which I will admit we are having trouble doing."
But Romo said the Cowboys must still believe in themselves, even if few others do.
"If we can minimize mistakes and do things the right way, we can be a team that teams don't want to play against," Romo said. "We may not scare anyone right now. But if you win a game or two, that will change."
Special to ESPN.com
Twelve teams are about to embark upon an NFL playoff chase they hope will culminate with a Super Bowl championship Feb. 4. It's safe to say none is as demoralized as the Cowboys.
Dallas staggers into Saturday's NFC wild-card game in Seattle having lost three of its past four games in disturbing fashion, culminating in back-to-back home losses to Philadelphia and lowly Detroit. The boos at Texas Stadium the past two weeks might still be ringing in the Cowboys' ears as they venture into noisy Qwest Field, where the defending NFC champion Seahawks have won 15 of their past 18 games.
"It's going to be a tough place to play," said Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. "Everybody knows that's one of the best home-field advantage places in the NFL."
The Seahawks opened as three-point favorites, not because they've shown so much during their 9-7 season but because the Cowboys have showed so little lately.
Dallas was 8-4 and leading the NFC East by two games with four to play before losing home games to New Orleans, Philadelphia and Detroit by a combined score of 104-55. Only a 38-28 victory in Atlanta in Week 15 prevented coach Bill Parcells' team from ending the season on a four-game losing streak.
The Cowboys coughed up the division title to the Eagles but hoped to regain a modicum of confidence and momentum in Sunday's season finale against Detroit. Instead, the Lions scored on four of six possessions in each half en route to a 39-31 upset that Parcells called "a low point for me."
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am," Parcells said after that game. "I really can't."
Others were able to articulate their feelings after watching Dallas give up Detroit's biggest scoring total since the Lions' 2003 season opener. Dallas and Fort Worth newspaper columnists labeled Parcells' four-year tenure a failure, with one suggesting team owner Jerry Jones might fire the coach and another declaring that he should.
Neither Jones nor Parcells would address Parcells' future with a playoff game yet to be played. But Jones cannot be satisfied that after four years and nearly $20 million in salary, Parcells has produced only a 34-30 record and one playoff loss, in 2003.
Parcells said Monday that the Cowboys begin this week with a clean slate, that their December meltdown is history and that "if you want to talk about history, go down to a museum." But those flippant answers won't stop the questions surrounding his team.
"You have a tendency to pay a lot more attention to your own situation than someone else's," Parcells said. "But there's very few teams that aren't going into this tournament without some questions about things that have happened. [Recent history] makes no difference."
Jones expressed confidence that Parcells will have his team ready this weekend. But there are indications the Cowboys are gleaning little inspiration from their grumpy coach.
Last month, Parcells stressed the importance of preparing like a championship team to establish momentum for the postseason. But the Cowboys were whipped on national television by the Saints, 42-17.
Parcells reminded his team that with a Christmas Day victory, the division title and a home playoff game would be theirs. But the Cowboys got manhandled by the Eagles, 23-7, their worst offensive showing of the season and a defensive effort Jones termed "pitiful."
Expectations for the Cowboys have fluctuated this season as their record bobbed from 0-1 to 4-4 to 8-4 to 9-7.
Parcells lit a fire under his offense when he benched immobile veteran Drew Bledsoe and made Romo his quarterback midway through Game 6, Oct. 23 against the Giants.
Romo, 26, energized the team and won five of his first six starts. After seven games, he was elected to his first Pro Bowl. But opponents seem to have gathered enough film on Romo. Facing defenses more tailored to containing him, Romo has grown increasingly reckless, resulting in eight interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in his past five games.
As Romo has slipped, so has the Cowboys' running game. Julius Jones managed only 91 of his career-high 1,084 rushing yards in the last three games. The Cowboys haven't rushed for 120 yards as a team in six weeks, and Jones began grumbling last week about his diminished workload.
Also feeling neglected is Terrell Owens, who led the league's receivers in touchdown receptions (13) and dropped passes (15) in the regular season. The first year of Owens' three-year, $25 million contract has been a near-constant headache for Parcells. Owens recently resumed his public criticism of the Cowboys' play calling.
But Dallas' biggest concern is its porous defense, which has given up 1,700 yards and 132 points in the past four games. The Cowboys have been unable to mount a consistent pass rush, cover even modestly skilled receivers or stop opponents on third down.
Parcells' preferred 3-4 defense worked fine when the scheme brought pressure from both sides via outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis. But since Ellis' season ended with a torn Achilles tendon Nov. 12 against Arizona, the difference has been striking.
In nine games with Ellis, the Cowboys had 11 sacks and forced six third-down turnovers. In the seven games without him, the Cowboys managed seven sacks and forced three third-down turnovers.
"We've got to get pressure on the quarterback," Parcells said, "which I will admit we are having trouble doing."
But Romo said the Cowboys must still believe in themselves, even if few others do.
"If we can minimize mistakes and do things the right way, we can be a team that teams don't want to play against," Romo said. "We may not scare anyone right now. But if you win a game or two, that will change."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:28 PM
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